1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to improvements in receivers for television signals.
2. Description of the Related Art
At present most television broadcasting, regardless of medium over which the signal is broadcast (Terrestrial, Cable, Satellite), is analogue based and comprises a single television service (e.g. SKY ONE, SKY SPORTS, SKY MOVIES) transmitted on a carrier signal or channel. However, the use of digital based broadcast technology is imminent. Digital broadcast technology will enable television service companies to transmit in a single channel high definition television programs, or plural programs at conventional definition or multiple customer services, or a combination of these.
In a conventional analogue-based television broadcast system programs (or “services”) are broadcast by separate television service companies on a single carrier signal (“channel”). In a digital based broadcast system it is possible to broadcast plural services multiplexed together on a single carrier. Unless the context requires otherwise the term “channel” will be used herein to refer to the bandwidth used by a single service to broadcast television programs or other customer services. The term “channel” therefore encompasses both an entire carrier signal (when the signal is used entirely by a single service) and a portion of a carrier signal (when the signal is shared by plural services).
The ability to transmit multiple channels in a single carrier signal enables a far greater number of services to be provided in the digital domain than is possible in the analogue domain. Some of the channels in a carrier may be used to provide conventional television programs while simultaneously other channels in the carrier are used to provide data for other customer services such as television program listings, on-line program ordering or so-called pay-per-view (PPV) services, and so on. Customer services should not be confused with the “services” provided by television companies as discussed hereinabove.
In addition to such television related services some of the channels in a carrier may be used to provide on-line shopping facilities by which a customer may purchase goods and/or services from their own home. Such on-line shopping is, of course, only possible if there is an element of interaction between the goods/service provider and the customer. The term “interactive services” will be used herein to refer generally to on-line shopping facilities and the like made available via one or more channels in a digital based broadcast system.
Digital data compression techniques enable a single channel to carry simultaneously multiple interactive services. In itself this creates a problem. Many customers will find bewildering the large number of interactive services available to them. If customers become confused they will not make use of the interactive services. Clearly, this is undesirable.
Transmission bandwidth is a finite resource and will remain at a premium even if full advantage is taken of digital data compression techniques. This presents a problem when it comes to providing an interactive service. On the one hand it is desirable to present high quality pictures and graphics. However, higher quality necessitates the use of a larger bandwidth. On the other hand it is desirable to keep costs down because customers will not make use of interactive services if they are significantly more expensive than comparable high street services.
The invention aims to address the above-mentioned and other problems.
In one aspect the invention provides a receiver for receiving broadcast digital television signals representing both image data and information data, the receiver being responsive to the information data to output for display data derived from said image data and said information data and representing an interactive image, and being responsive to viewer manipulation of an input device to vary the interactive image and to establish a telecommunications link to a remote site for on-line interaction via the interactive image between the viewer and the remote site.
In another aspect the invention provides a method of interacting with broadcast interactive services, the method comprising receiving signals representing both image data and information data, deriving from the data in the received signals an interactive image for display, responding to manipulation of an input device by varying the interactive image, and establishing a telecommunications link to a remote site for on-line transfer of data therewith in response to the manipulation of the input device.
In a further aspect the invention provides an interactive services interface comprising: a broadcast entry level for enabling a user to select from a range of available service types; a first broadcast interactive level entered by user selection of a service type in the entry level for enabling the user to select from a group of service providers of the selected type; a second broadcast interactive level entered by user selection of a service provider in the first broadcast interactive level, for enabling the user to select from a range of classes of goods and/or services available from the selected service provider: and a third broadcast interactive level, entered by user selection of a class of goods and/or services, for enabling the user to select goods and/or services from the selected class.
In another aspect the invention provides a receiver for receiving television signals in a plurality of channels, each signal comprising video data defining a television program and program scheduling data defining the scheduling of programs in the plurality of channels, the receiver being arranged to produce from received program scheduling data output signals defining for display an image of a list of present programs in the plurality of channels, the receiver comprising a user operable selector operable to select from the list when displayed one of the present programs and being responsive to such selection by receiving the video data for the selected present program and combining the video data with the output signals so that the output signals define an image of the selected present program in combination with the image of the list of the present programs.
In another aspect the invention provides a receiver for receiving television signals in a plurality of channels each defining a television program, the receiver comprising a processor adapted to generate output signals for display of an image representing a list of programs receivable by the receiver; the receiver comprising a user operable selector operable to select from the list when displayed channels for which no information will normally be displayable by the receiver.
In another aspect the invention provides a receiver for receiving television signals in a plurality of channels each defining a television program, the receiver comprising a processor adapted to generate output signals for display of an image representing an ordered list of channels receivable by the receiver, the receiver comprising a user operable selector operable to select the order in which channels are listed in the list.
The above and further features of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims and together with advantages thereof will become clearer from consideration of the following detailed description of an exemplary embodiment of the invention given with reference to the accompanying drawings.